All the brand new journey guidelines in Europe for 2026: Border checks, vacationer taxes and behavior crackdowns

It’s set to be a bumper yr for journey adjustments in Europe, with controls tightening round every part from borders to mass tourism.

To protect the peace between residents and guests, extra locations are introducing new guidelines and rules impacting journey preparations, conduct and costs. As the EU continues to digitise its borders, vacationers getting into the bloc will face further checks.

Here’s a rundown of among the most vital traits and adjustments in Europe’s journey guidelines to anticipate in 2026.

Europe tightens border controls

EU Entry/Exit System (EES) completes rollout

The EU lastly launched its new Entry/Exit System (EES) on 12 October 2025. The phased rollout is predicted to be full by 10 April 2026.

Rather than having their passports stamped, non-EU travellers crossing exterior Schengen borders should present biometric knowledge – together with passport knowledge, fingerprints and a facial picture – electronically on entry.

The system will cowl all EU international locations besides Ireland and Cyprus, in addition to Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

The objective is to determine visa overstayers and fight unlawful migration by verifying travellers’ identities, strengthening safety checks, and sustaining a register of entries in EU databases.

Teething points with the brand new system triggered a number of delays to the launch all through 2025, with the scheduled November launch on the UK Port of Dover stalled for automobile passengers till 2026 to stop Christmas journey chaos.

While international locations overcome this bumpy begin, travellers ought to anticipate delays when getting into some Schengen international locations – although in the long term, the brand new system guarantees to streamline EU border checks.

ETIAS delayed till late 2026

ETIAS – the European Travel Information and Authorisation System – was initially on account of launch following the EES in 2025, however has now been delayed till late 2026.

It would require visa-exempt vacationers from sure international locations to finish an internet authorisation earlier than getting into the Schengen Area, at a price of €20 to most travellers.

This will present them with an digital entry allow permitting for stays of as much as 90 days inside 180 days. The ETIAS is legitimate for 3 years.

UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to be enforced in February

The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) was soft-launched in October 2023 however has not but been strictly enforced.

This will change as of February 2026, when vacationers from 85 international locations, who don’t presently want a visa, will likely be required to use for a digital allow for brief stays within the UK.

The utility presently prices £16 (€18.20) and is legitimate for 2 years on stays of as much as six months.

Travel prices proceed to rise throughout Europe

Travellers weren’t solely been squeezed by allow charges and inflation in 2025: vacationer taxes, Airbnb crackdowns and different measures to curb mass tourism made exploring Europe costlier.

Restrictions on short-term lodging had been introduced in Paris, Barcelona and past – primarily to fight inflated lease costs for locals dwelling in standard vacationer cities and cities.

This decreased the supply of low cost, Airbnb-style lodging – and it is set to proceed into 2026. This January, Budapest turned the most recent to affix the pattern by introducing restrictions on short-term leases in its bustling sixth District.

Pushing costs up additional are nightly vacationer taxes launched in international locations like Iceland, Spain, Norway and the UK– and even the continuation of the day-tripper payment in Venice, Italy. These measures intention to fund vacationer infrastructure and stop standard locations from being overrun by guests.

In 2026, Bucharest will introduce a nightly vacationer tax regardless of backlash from hoteliers.

This all ties right into a shift in the direction of so-called ‘quality tourism’ in Europe, with many international locations making an attempt to maneuver away from mass, price range tourism and as an alternative appeal to a smaller and extra sustainable variety of high-spending guests.

Some locations are passing on inflated working prices to guests. Snow sports activities lovers have been significantly arduous hit, with ski passes in Switzerland, Austria and Italy leaping by as a lot as 40 per cent in comparison with 2021 in some resorts on account of hovering power payments and upkeep charges.

Europe cracks down on badly behaved vacationers

While cost-hiking measures serve a twin goal of chopping customer numbers and elevating funds, different new guidelines are aimed extra squarely at curbing undesirable vacationer behaviour.

San Sebastián is the most recent Spanish metropolis to ban smoking on its seashores, whereas Portugal’s Albufeira final yr introduced fines for scantily clad vacationers.

A latest ban on occasion boats within the Spanish port of Palma, in the meantime, goals to liberate infrastructure and handle noise complaints from residents.

In France, clampdowns begin earlier than vacationers even contact down. As of final November, air passengers flouting guidelines or inflicting disruption on flights may face fines of as much as €20,000 and even boarding bans for as much as 4 years.

Passenger rights in 2026: What’s altering?

Rumours have been swirling a few crackdown on the money-grabbing antics of price range airways. Europeans have been teased with the tantalising concept of fee-free cabin baggage and higher compensation for more and more frequent flight delays.

But intense strain from the aviation business is placing the adjustments in jeopardy. An EU legislationto enhance air passenger rights has been beneath dialogue for 11 years now – however airways say the adjustments will inevitably end in ticket value hikes.

Some EU member states have even fought to scale back passenger rights by elevating the three-hour compensation rule to 4 hours.

With no consensus reached on the problems, mediation talks are set to proceed into early 2026.

A latest choice by low-cost airline Ryanair to cease accepting paper boarding passes has additionally raised rights considerations. One nation, Portugal, has warned that the airline’s new measures danger non-compliance with air passenger rights.

Portugal’s aviation authority cautioned the airline that it can not refuse passengers boarding with bodily boarding passes.